Upon meeting with Diane & Ari two years ago, we were immediately drawn to their wedding vision and couldn’t wait to begin creating it for them. After pinning down a date (May 14, 2011) and venue (the gorgeous Stone House at Stirling Ridge) Diane and our team began to work together in creating a romantic and whimsical theme and before we knew it, their big day arrived!
Diane wore a beautiful red and gold sari accompanied with stunning jewels and traditional henna designs. Ari donned an authentic achkan sherwani suit along with a coordinating turban of red and gold.
Given that Ari is from Indian descent, the theme was centered on vibrant colors of fuchsia, orange and turquoise, keeping the style streamlined yet bold and colorful. To capture this theme, our design team created custom invitations and coordinating stationery to carry the color scheme throughout.
Some of our favorite weddings have very small and intimate bridal parties and this wedding had it all. A simple, yet meaningful bridal party, Diane asked her daughter to be maid of honor while Ari asked his brother to be his best man. Diane’s son (who had also recently married at the Stone House) was set to walk her down the aisle.
When planning an inter-faith wedding ceremony, especially Indian, there are a lot of factors to accommodate. When guests first arrived at the Stone House, they were greeted by a large table offering various Indian sweets to snack on, as well as the Ganesh statue. 
Guests waited with the bride’s family as Ari and his family was led into the foyer through floral curtains by a drummer. Guests were then treated to a traditional Indian wedding ceremony held before a large Mandap.
Afterward, guests enjoyed cocktail hour while the entire bridal party did a quick wardrobe change. Exchanging her red sari, Diane donned a gorgeous ivory wedding gown and exchanged vows again on the outdoor terrace during a short, but sweet, Christian ceremony.
Our team and the Stone House staff worked quickly to transition the ballroom from the Indian ceremony to a reception ballroom. Below, Fiore Films (one of our favorite videographers!) shares a time lapse video showcasing the turnover:
The ballroom was completely converted into a very stylish and sultry ambiance, complete with crushed orange shimmer linen, luscious white floral centerpieces and deep amber up lighting. Fuchsia table numbers and orange tradition explanation cards were created by our design team for each table. The escort cards, also created by our team, were hung on manzanita branches and were adorned with hanging crystals.
Channeling an authentic Indian wedding, guests were surprised with Barrat dancers performing and getting people out of their chairs to dance! DJ Raj played a mix of Indian & American music and kept guests dancing through the night.
Halfway through the reception, Diane had a third wardrobe change and surprised her new husband with another chic pink sari. Later in the evening, guests moved from their tables to either the lounge area created by Jersey Street Furniture or sat outside around the fire pit.
On their way out, guests were treated to a hot pretzel station, as well as a Moet Champagne split packaged beautifully in a pink votive holder wrapped with a good luck glass elephant charm.
It was a honor working with Diane & Ari and we wish them nothing but happiness & love!
Thank you to all our vendors who worked so hard to create this beautiful day:
Videographer: Fiore Films
Photography: Ajit Singh
Indian Ceremony: Mandaps by Dhoom
Music: DJ Raj & Craig Scott Entertainment
Venue: Stone House at Stirling Ridge
Caterers: Stone House & Moghul Catering
Favors: Favortique
Flowers: Kurt Christoffers
Rentals: Jersey Street Rental
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